Just Another Ordinary Day
by Rebanut
Summary: Sue's in a rut, she wants more excitement in her life.  What's that they say, watch what you wish for.
1. Chapter 1

**Just Another Ordinary Day**

**Written by: Rebanut**

I don't own anything… not Sue Thomas, not the characters! If you like it, let me know. If you don't, you can let me know that too, just be nice about it!

**Chapter one:**

Sue woke up early. She couldn't sleep. It had been like this for a week. She was in a rut. She needed a change. Little does she know, she's about to get one.

It was a Tuesday morning. The spring air was cool in the morning; still cool enough to see your breath. There was light dew on the trees that were just beginning to bud. Levi led the way, sniffing for something interesting. The sun was just beginning to rise from the horizon. The orange, yellow and pinks that blended together made for a beautiful back drop to the city skyline. It was quiet, peaceful. Everything seemed so perfect. If they were, why did Sue feel like she needs a change? She loved her job, but even that seemed dull lately. Dull wasn't good.

"Maybe I just need a vacation? What do you think boy? Want to take a little trip? Maybe we can go home, visit with the family. Or maybe this hum drum feeling I have will just go away, like magic…" She sighed and turned back toward home.

Sue entered the bullpen, putting her coat on the rack, and getting a cup of coffee. The entire team was there, but there wasn't much going on. No new cases, nothing to investigate. Sue checked her email, there was only one that peeked her interest, it was from her oldest brother. She clicked to open it, and started reading it.

"Hey Sis! How are things fighting the bad guys, keeping our country safe? The kids want you to come visit soon." Sue smiled at that. She loved her two nephews, and recently added niece. "Umm… the reason I'm writing is, there's something going on that you should know about. Mom would kill me if she knew I was telling you. Dad was pretty adamant about you not finding out, so PLEASE don't tell them I told you." His urgent pleas were tugging at her heart, and making her very nervous. The next words she read made her sick to her stomach and crushed her heart. "Mom's sick…." Sue read a bit more, but quickly closed the email. She sat quietly at her desk for a moment, trying to keep the tears at bay. When she felt she'd bitten the inside of her cheek enough to transfer the pain from her heart to her face, she allowed herself to mumble.

"Uggh, I hate when it's quiet in here." Sue said, not really meaning to say out loud.

"Why is that Thomas?" Myles questioned.

Sue's cheeks tinted a faint shade of pink. "Oh, did I say that out loud?" She asked, slightly embarrassed by the slip.

"Yes, you did vocalize that. Would you rather be chasing after some miserable criminal- a danger to society?" He mused.

"Actually, I would." Sue answered.

"You would?"Tara asked surprised.

"Yes. At least we would be working against a known enemy, not waiting for one to pop up from the shadows. I don't like the unknown- it's too much like the darkness." She continued.

Lucy looked at Sue, concerned. Bobby and Jack shared the look, and the concern.

"What's wrong with the dark?" Myles asked, rather innocently.

"Myles, have you ever been in a void? A dark, menacing place where your only sense that is useful is smell? It isn't fun." Sue finished, angrier than she expected.

Myles shrugged toward the rest of the team. Jack hopped out of his chair and walked to where the Bostonian was standing. "She's deaf, Myles! If you take her eyes away from her, what does that leave her with?" Jack's voice was getting higher, louder, and angrier.

"I- I do." Myles admitted, embarrassed by his thoughtlessness. "I'm sorry, Thomas. I, once again, didn't think before opening my big mouth." He offered.

"Apology accepted." She answered.

"I find it difficult sometimes now, to remember that you're deaf. I'll admit, I haven't given any thought to what it must be like, NOT to be able to hear. I take that ability for granted." He offered.

"Most people do Myles. Don't beat yourself up over it. It's a gift that you all have, forgetting that is easy. She smiled and went back to reading email. The conversation seemed to defuse the situation.

"Can I help you?" Lucy's voice rose from her desk. The crew looked up to see a handsome man standing in the front of the office, just inside the door.

"Jack Hudson and Sue Thomas?" was all he said.

"I'm Jack Hudson, can I help you with something?" Jack said, as he rose from his desk and walked toward the man. He tapped Sue on his way. The man held out 2 envelopes, one to each.

"Consider yourselves served. Because of the context of the trial, short notice, and recent threats, you're to come with me.

"Excuse me, what is this all about?" Sue asked the man. He started to speak, but turned his back on her. "I'm sorry, could you face me when you speak? I can't read your lips if you're facing the other direction. I'm deaf." She said with no apology.

"I'm sorry. You need to come with me." He repeated.

"We're not going anywhere with you. I need to speak with my supervisor. You haven't shown us ANY ID…" Jack started.

"Sue, Jack? Can I see you?" D asked.

"D? What's going on?" Jack asked.

"We just received notice that the Daniel Ryan trial starts this morning. You two need to be there as witnesses." D explained.

"OK, so why subpoena us? Why not just pick up this new invention called a phone and inform us. Like we're not going to go?" Jack said beginning to get sarcastic.

"There have been threats made. Nothing with any merit, but threats just the same." D said cautiously.

"What type of threats?" Sue asked.

"Bomb threats." He answered, coldly. "That's why there was no advance notice of the trial. The location has been kept secret, and changed 3 times today alone. They've used 3 different couriers to deliver the subpoena everyone. The court house has been swept, twice with bomb sniffing dogs. EVERYONE who comes in and out are being screened for bomb making residue. The security is tight, but it's no guarantee. You two be careful."

"Thanks D" they both said as they walked back to the bullpen and their ride to court.

"Hey, Sparky, what's going on?" Bobby asked.

"Nothing, just court." Jack offered.

"I guess they want to make sure we get there." Sue mumbled as they were escorted from the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Once at the Federal Courthouse, security was extra tight. There were extra guards with metal detecting wands, and bomb sniffing dogs at the entrance. No one was being allowed into the courtroom unless escorted by a courier or police officer. There was a member of the press a couple people behind Sue and Jack.

"What's with the Rin Tin Tin parade today?" He said sarcastically as he stood in line. Jack just shook his head in Sue's direction. They were screened, patted down, gone over with extra wands and checked by the dogs. Jack was re-lacing his belt through the loops, and both were putting their shoes back on when they noticed the man behind them was a member of the press. Jack recognized him from the paper that Darcie used to work at.

"Sir, can I see some identification?" The officer asked. The reporter handed him his press pass. "So, what's with the doggie parade today?" He asked again.

"I'm sorry sir, all unnecessary personal are being asked to vacate the premises. You'll have to leave." The officer said.

"Wh-What? This is my regular beat. You mind telling me WHY I can't be here? This is a public place is it not?" he said, becoming belligerent.

"Sir, this is what I was told to do, and I'm doing it. NO ONE enters unless they have a subpoena in their hand. You do not. Please leave, now." The officer repeated.

Jack could see the reporter wasn't going to let it go. He flashed his badge to the officer and the reported.

"Dave, Dave Patterson right?" Jack asked. The reporter looked confused, but nodded. "Look, the doggie parade is a crack down on drugs coming into the courthouse. The other security is for safety, can't be too safe, right?"

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Jack Hudson, Sue Thomas. We were friends with Darcie." He offered.

"Ahh, ok. So, if it's subpoena only, why are you here? What's the big secret?" He asked, arching his eyebrow.

"Blind subpoena. I won't know why we're here until I get behind that door." Jack explained.

"I want in. It's my constitutional right …" He started.

"Look, why don't you go get a cup of coffee, some breakfast, and come back later. We know where to find you; we'll fill you in, if we can." Sue suggested.

The reporter scrutinized the two agents, not sure what to make of them. "Why? I don't know you, you don't owe me any favors? Why offer to do that, or anything for me when I can just go inside?" He asked, angrier than needed.

"Look, I didn't plan to come here today. I was planning on clearing up some paperwork, maybe get a cheeseburger for lunch, going for a run in the park… everyday stuff. That's not going to happen now. I HAVE to be here. SHE HAS to be here. You do not. YOU are not WANTED here. I would like to get out of here today with a little hassle as possible. I figure if there isn't anything that gets in the way of things going forward, like the security having to drag your sorry butt out of here, I'll get home earlier. What do you say?" Jack urged.

"I get the scoop?" He said, biting his lip, obviously not sure he wanted to make the deal.

"Yep." Jack said, with a nod.

"OK… I'll be at Miller's Bakery around the corner… great coffee." The reporter got out of the security line and walked back down the stairs to the outside of the building.

"Are you really going to give him the scoop?" Sue asked.

"Dunno… guess that depends on WHAT the scoop really is." Jack answered. Sue headed down the hall to the courtroom, his hand resting on the small of her back. Sue could feel the warmth of his hand through her FBI jacket. She smiled at the thought. It was the first time she'd smiled all day. ' Wow, what a bad day if it's 9 and I haven't smiled til now. Hmm, leave it to Jack to make my day better.' She thought as they walked into the courtroom.

The pair sat toward the front of the room. It was bright from windows on the far right of the bench. The morning light was streaming through old fashioned looking blinds. The streaks of light showed the dust that was dancing on the endless breeze from the stream of personnel that were being allowed into the courtroom. The sun created a glare so strong that it was nearly impossible to see the deep crimson and brilliant yellows and oranges on the trees behind the building. Jack recognized some people. Two court officers, the ADA as she sat at her table checking over last minute testimony, and conversing with an assistant. The court reporter was a lady named Nancy. She reminded Jack of his Aunt Cathy. She was sweet and easy to talk to, just a nice woman. As he looked to the other side of the room, he glanced past Sue. He noticed she seemed distant, obviously thinking about something else. He was watching her features. Just thinking about how beautiful she is made a smile cross his lips. He wanted to reach over and put his arm around her, but reminded himself 'time and place'. He noticed how her nose wrinkled when she sniffled. Her beautiful hazel eyes. 'Wait… sniffled? And her eyes are filling with tear. I hate it when she's hurting.' Jack thought to himself. He reached his hand forward, taking hers. She didn't want to look him in the eye, knowing that would be her undoing and the tears would pour like a waterfall over her cheeks. Jack could see her side look, and knew why. "**You OK**?" he signed, giving her hand a light squeeze. She only nodded. She didn't trust her voice. "**What's going on? Do you want to talk about it?**" Jack asked. Sue only shrugged. He could see the inner struggle she was having. She slowly pulled her hand away from his, and sucked in a deep breath, blowing it out slowly, trying to dissipate the sadness she felt in her heart. "**Does it have anything to do with why you were** **so mean to Myles today**?" Jack asked, quickly adding "**Not that he didn't deserve it**." That brought a smile to her edges of her lips. She nodded 'yes' and took another cleansing breath. She looked at him, for a mere second before she knew her voice would betray her if she tried to speak. "**I got an email from my brother. My Mom's sick**." Sue finally allowed a sole tear to trail her face. It was taking all her might to keep the others at bay.

"Sue, if you need to go to her, we can get your testimony on tape or arrange for you to go first. They'll allow it. I'll go talk to ADA Chang." Jack said as he started from his seat. Sue grabbed his arm before he could go.

"No. I'm not supposed to know about it, and there's nothing I can do." Sue said.

"You can be there for her, talk to her, comfort her." Jack encouraged.

"She didn't want me to know. She didn't want ANY of us kids know. We only found out because my Dad called my oldest brother, and it got passed down. I can't even call her." "**Why not?** " Jack asked. "My voice will give me away. She'll know something's wrong, and it won't take long for her to realize what." Sue admitted.

"What's wrong with your Mom?" Jack asked sweetly.

"Cancer…" Sue's eyes finally betrayed her, and the tears flowed freely. Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulder giving her a gentle hug, and offering a tissue. "**Thank you**." Sue said, finally allowing herself to grieve the battle her mother was about to face, alone.

"She'll get through this." Jack offered.

"Your lips to God's ear…" Sue paused. She could see Jack's face light up. "Yes, I've already asked. Although, it wouldn't hurt if you did too…" She said with a hopeful look in her eyes. "**I will do that**." Jack offered. He thought her faith would give her the hope to be strong for her mother. They sat quietly for a few minutes. Jack had noticed a uniformed officer standing on the far side of the waiting area when they first came in. He recognized the man, but couldn't place how or why.

"Sue? Do you know that man? The officer leaning against the door frame." Sue glanced in the direction. "He looks familiar. It's almost like I know him, but not from court." She said.

"I know… I'm getting the same feeling." Jack affirmed. Just then, the judge came into the courtroom. The doors were closed, and the mysterious officer stood, arms crossed in front of them.

"All rise. The Honorable Judge Peter Sinton presiding." A small voice came from the front of the room. The judge entered and sat. He read the case set in front of him on his desk.

"Be seated. Case 764-United States government VS. Daniel Ryan on 42 counts of…" The voice began again.

"Your Honor, the government is willing to stipulate to the charges in light of time and the extreme amount of actual charges." The ADA said.

"Are you ok with that Mr. Ryan?" The judge asked.

"Yes Sir." His lawyer answered.

"Call your first witness Ms. Chang" the judge ordered.

"I call FBI special agent Jack Hudson." Jack rose from his seat next to Sue and made his way to the stand.

"…the jury how you came to first know of Mr. Ryan." The ADA asked. Sue didn't even realize she was paying no attention to the trial. All she could think about was her mother. Her stare found the far windows. She tried to look outside, with a hope of seeing some sign from God that it was going to be OK. A stray sparkle caught her eye. It had come from the tree. It wasn't right. There was something wrong with a sparkle in a tree. She couldn't process what was happening fast enough to stay ahead of it. She suddenly realized where she knew the officer at the door from! She tried to get Jack attention, but to no avail. She decided to watch back out the window, trying desperately to identify that sparkle.  
>If for only a split second, Sue saw it. She couldn't know exactly what she saw, but her mind told her to duck and run, fast. "Jack! GUN!"<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Jack! GUN!" Was all Sue screamed. The only reaction she ever saw from Jack was the shocked realization that they were in trouble. Just then, Sue saw a muzzle flash come from outside the window in the tree. Nano seconds passed before she could even react. The bullet had pierced a vase sitting on the ADA's office. It exploded on impact. She tried to pull the person sitting next to her down, with no luck. Jack heard pops coming from an automatic weapon. They were in a barrage of bullets. Jack launched himself to his left toward the judge. He desperately looked one last time before he hit the floor for Sue. He saw the ADA and Nancy go down, his heart ached as Nancy screamed out in pain. Sue was scared. She was more scared that she'd ever been. She wished at that moment that Jack hadn't gotten up to testify. She would be more sure of herself, and safe with him by her side. He wasn't there. Sue tried to regain a sense of her surroundings. She slowly lifted her head to see another flash of light from behind her. She fell hard onto the floor and rolled herself under the bench she had been sitting on only 5 minutes earlier. The shots seemed to be coming from the door now too.

"What's going on? How is this happening?" was all she could think. Sue was grateful that she couldn't hear the confusion and horror going on around her. The screams as hot metal orbs pierced through skin, shattering bone. She could feel the terror beginning to creep into her mind, she fought it. She closed her eyes as tight as she could, and prayed. "Dear God, PLEASE help us." Was all she could mutter. She opened her eyes, fighting her natural instinct to hide. She could see an old man laying on the floor in front of her, his eyes wide open and cold. His stare was blank. Sue noticed blood oozing into a puddle beside his head, she knew it was too late to help him, he was gone. As she turned her head up trying desperately to see anything, anyone else, she saw a woman curled into the fetal position, crying. Sue held her finger to her lips to tell her to be as quiet and still as possible. The woman trembled with fear. This was the first time Sue had been in the thick of things. She wished it wasn't. She wished she had experience behind her, but in the same breath was very grateful she'd never dealt with this sort of panic before. She drew on every gut instinct and every ounce of FBI training. She needed to stay focused on what was going on around her. Suddenly, she could see a shadow move above her from the bench in front of where she was hiding. She held her breath and stayed as still as she could. Her mind was reeling. Was this one of the attackers, another helpless victim, Jack? Jack! She had been so scared, so busy trying to survive, she had forgotten about him. She braved opening her eyes once again. As she did, she saw blood splatter on the back of the bench, and a body fell, dripping blood onto Sue. It was the ADA's assistant. For Sue, that was the defining moment. She knew then, she had to get out of that room or she was going to die. She rolled herself under the next bench, but the view was blocked. Her hands reached for anything she could find to pull herself along the floor boards. As she got to the far end of the seats, she could see light streaming in from where she thought was the door. It was open, freedom! She saw 2 shadows run thru the doors, opening them wider. Sue could see bits of the wall in front of her and the doors being dug out and dropped in a down pour along with bullet fragments littering the only path to safety. It was too dangerous. She would be a sitting duck in the direct line of fire. Sue pulled herself to the row behind her, and crawled on her belly to a pocketbook on the floor. She tore through it, leaving its contents in a pile. She took out a compact to use the mirror as an extra set of eyes. She crept to the front of the courtroom again, pushing the compact out a bit, facing the window. She could still see the sinister being perched on the branch. He seemed to be randomly firing. Sue sat back and took a cleansing breath. As she tried to think of a way out of this mess, she looked at the reverse image of the small make up mirror. She saw something different, something she didn't recognize right away. The shooter was toying with them. He was terrorizing them for the fun of it. As Sue leaned forward to move the mirror again, a bullet, so precisely aimed, shattered it into a million pieces. Sue screamed, and pulled herself back. She then saw the red dot trailing along the path the bullet had just traveled. The shooter knew she was there, knew she was alive. As if almost to show off his skill, the beam glowed on the light switch on the wall, next to the only exit. It too disappeared. Sue noticed the beam traveling along the witness stand. It focused on the microphone. The gunman slowly, gently squeezed the trigger one last time. In an instant, the room exploded. Debris rained down on Sue's head. In that same instant, Sue's world went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The bullpen was as quiet as it had been earlier that morning. Bobby playfully tossed a paper at Myles as he was trying to type up an expense report.

"Must you?" Myles said, a bit testy.

"What's the matter, Mate? Sue's foul mood rub off on you before she and Jack left?" Bobby asked. Myles made a snide face at him and continued to try to type. Lucy's phone rang. She rushed from the coffee pot to answer it. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Tara looked up in a jump to see Lucy's coffee cup laying in pieces on her desk and the floor next to it.

"Oh my God!" Lucy said, over and over. She nearly dropped the phone as she yelled to Tara to get a news feed up on the screen. D heard the commotion and joined his team.

"What's going on?" D asked.

"Luc, what's wrong?" both Bobby and Tara asked, but all Lucy could do was point to the horrific images being shown on the screen.

"Ther… There… There's been a shooting, explosion at the federal court house." She barely got that tidbit out before she couldn't control the sobs any longer. The group looked in shock at the screen. D's phone began ringing as did Bobby's and Tara's.

"Jack and Sue are in court today." Lucy said, barely audible.

"Ok people, let's move!" D said as he rushed the team out the door.

They sped to the scene, only to be stopped by an officer.

"Sir, you can't go there." The young officer said. D just pushed past him holding his FBI badge high in the air. The balance of the team did the same. Tara and Lucy had stayed behind in the van, getting up and online, ready for their team to go into battle.

"D, can you hear me?" Tara asked calmly.

"Yep." D answered. "Me too." Both Bobby and Myles answered before being asked. They were in take down mode. D walked to the man who seemed to be in charge.

"Who are you?" the police chief asked.

"FBI." Was all D had to say, again flashing badges. "What do you have?" He asked.

"Not much yet. No one's coming out. We have 3 on the side of the main entrance, but it's dangerous." The officer said.

"How so?" Bobby asked.

"Debris and the structural integrity." He answered.

"What the hell exactly happened here?" Myles asked.

"WE DON'T KNOW." He again answered.

"Can you tell us what you DO know?" D asked.

"There were reports of gun shots in the area, that's why we were on scene when we were. The first two officers on the scene are down over there." He said pointing toward the front of the courthouse. The crew could see the bodies lying on the steps leading to the main entrance.

"Tara, can you get a look at the officers on the steps, see if you can see any movement, breathing… anything?" D requested.

"On it" Tara replied. She let out a nervous breath as she looked over at Lucy who was ringing her hands with tears staining her cheeks. "Do you want to help? I could use another set of eyes." She said looking in Lucy's direction. Lucy quickly got up and sat down next to her friend.

"What do I do?" Lucy asked.

"Put this on, and look here." She instructed pointing to the screen. "This button zooms in, this one out. This joy stick moves the camera left, right, up and down. If you see ANYTHING, say something." Tara gave her friends hand a gentle squeeze.

"I don't see any movement D, sorry." Tara said. D just shook his head no to the officer.

"What else?" Bobby asked.

"When those two got here, they heard the shots. They called it in, said they were coming from inside the building and they were going in." He recalled pointing to the men on the stairs.

"I stopped counting the number of shots. I was having flash backs to Iraq. It was that frequent." The officer said.

"We heard reports of a possible explosion?" D asked.

"I heard it. I heard a single pop, then another. There was a short pause, a pop and a loud bang. We could hear the collapse from out here. Swat's got a perimeter set up. All exits are covered and closed." The chief offered.

"Wait, if the shooting came from the inside, why are those two bleeding from their backs?" Myles asked.

"Any line on the shooter?" Bobby asked.

"Shooters" he answered. "We heard pops coming from two places. We have a team checking behind us. It's clear, but someone WAS up in the 4th floor window taking pot shots. We think that one's the one that got our guys." The Chief said.

"What about the others?" Myles asked.

"From behind the building. It's a woodsy area back there, perfect to hide and take out a federal judge." An officer said.

"Anyone come out?" Bobby asked.

"Some civilians at first. We've had a few officers from inside the building carry people out to ambulances. We also had 2 K-9's make out, not their handlers though."

"Tara, can you see ANYTHING that doesn't look right to you? Some place to start?" D asked.

"I'm looking Boss." She offered. She and Lucy started combing every inch of their screens.

"What's the FBI's interest in this?" The chief asked.

"It's a Federal building… and, we have people inside this morning, testifying." D said.

"I'm sorry…" was all the officer could muster.

"The fire teams are inside the building. There were no more gun shots after the explosion. We figure maybe the shooter was caught by the explosion." A rookie added as he stood beside the senior officer.

"Doubt it." Myles said. "This was a professional hit."

"You sure?" the young man asked.

"Yes." Was all Myles was willing to say about it.

"D?" Tara's voice rang across the communications system. "I've got something." She said.

"I'll be right there." D answered. The rest of the team followed closely.

"What'd ya got Tara?" D asked.

"The beginning of the escape route." She said, pointing to the screen. "The grass is matted down around that tree trunk, and the fence is pulled out some. It looks distorted." She explained as she pointed to it on her screen. D instantly took over the scene and asked the PD for their assistance. He asked the chief to get his K-9 Units out and see if they could follow the trail behind the building. In the mean time, he was going into the building. Bobby and Myles already had gear on. D was right behind them with his.

"Tara, cover us will ya? We need to see this guy early!" Bobby said as the team ran for cover crossing the street. A team of the local PD followed with riot gear on. Bobby led the way into the building. It was quiet, eerily quiet. There was the far off crackle of a fire burning on the far side of where they were headed. There was a dust cloud of concrete with small pebbles and water droplets falling on their heads. Myles covered as Bobby and D slowly crept inside and up the stairs. The tall Australian stuffed himself into the corner next to what used to be the entrance to the courtroom they believed Sue and Jack to have been in.

"Tara, you ready?" He asked.

"Go." Was all she said.

With that, Bobby held out a small marble on the end of a rod, forcing it through some debris and into the room.

"See anything?" D asked.

"Not yet. Give it a minute." Tara asked, trying to keep them calm and pace them. Everyone knew how important time was, but safety needed to be most important right now. They couldn't rush anything. "It looks clear. No sign of a shooter. I don't see anyone. Be careful. There are bodies strewn all around… body parts as well." Tara warned.

D instructed some of the officers to help lift some of the debris so they could get into the room. The doors had splintered with the explosion, but the ceiling beams had fallen in. The fear sitting on everyone's mind, but not their lips was, had anyone survived the carnage that had befallen them, could anyone have survived?

"How ya doin out there Luc? You hanging in there?" D asked.

"Yeah. I'm hanging in." She responded.

"OK ladies, it's going to get pretty gruesome in there, but we need you to focus on our surroundings. If you see anything, let us know. You've got to have our backs as we travel further in. We're looking for shooters, live victims, Jack and Sue. Let's go people." D said. The team traveled slowly, lifting any large beams and ceiling pieces they could. The gore was almost too much to look at. There were bodied on top of one another, some desperately trying to take cover from the horror they had experienced, others had been gunned down without ever knowing they were being hunted.

"Got one!" Myles shouted. "We need medics in here, NOW!" he yelled again, this time toward the doorway. "Male, badly injured, but breathing." He muttered into his mic. As they continued, there were 2 other victims found alive, near the windows. Bobby had made his way back a bit, toward the entrance. He saw beams cris-crossed over a bench, and heard, to his surprise, a moan. A single, nearly silent cry for help. It had been enough to bring his eye in the direction of their fallen comrade. Bobby rushed over to the body on the floor, half covered with the wreckage, and half hidden under the front bench. He could make out it was a female, but didn't at first realize it was Sue. Her body was twisted and bent in ways it shouldn't have been. A ceiling panel had kept a heavy beam's full weight from her frail body. Her face was covered in rubble and grit from parts of the room that had been pummeled into dust. Blood was matted into her hair, they couldn't tell if it was hers or not. "Thomas!" Myles shouted as he reached the spot where Bobby stood still pulling remains of the ceiling from her. She was unconscious, but breathing. She was alive, barely. The entire team heard a gasp in unison coming from Tara and Lucy.

"Is she alive?" Tara asked. Lucy couldn't even form the words. Tears fell upon her cheeks as she watched Bobby and Myles uncover her best friend.

"Yes." Bobby answered as Myles yelled for another medic.

"What about Jack? Do you see any sign of him?" Tara asked.

"Not yet. We haven't come across the judge yet either. Let's assume they're together, at least for now." D said. "Bobby, Myles, let's go toward the bench and see if we can see anything. Chief, have your people check the rest of the room out for more survivors." D grabbed the medics arm nodding his head in Sue's direction. "She's special to us… take good care of her." He encouraged. The medic nodded. Bobby and Myles crept warily across shards of glass from the windows that had been blown out, pieces of pipe, ceiling tiles, and wood. They searched for something, anything indicating someone had survived. It was hard to believe someone could have. The destruction was massive. There was no sign of anyone in that area. No gore, no bodies or parts. How could they have just disappeared? D was the first to notice the door to the adjacent room was blown open. The three, pulling their weapons once again, entered the dark and menacing room. On the far side of the room, an emergency sign shown through the smoke and dust. The ceiling tiles had fallen in that room as well, along with some beams and wiring. The explosion had been centered and basically maintained in the courtroom. That was hopefully good news for anyone who managed to make it through the shooting, and into the room.

"Tara?" D's voice was shaking a bit. The three members took turns covering for one another as they advanced further into the room.

"Sparky'd better be in here. Kevlar can only handle some much of an impact." Bobby remarked.

"Not to mention, I can feel the hair turning grey as we speak!" Myles added. Both were trying to lighten the mood. The chief sent men into follow the FBI team.

"Tara, Luv? You still with us?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, we're here. Just watching your back is all." She answered, blushing lightly from him referring to her as "Luv".

"Anything?" D asked.

"No, looks clear, but keep your eyes open, I can't see everything." She said.

"How's Luc holding up?" D asked.

"Not too good. She went to the ambulance to be with Sue." Tara said with a sadness in her voice.

"Any word from them when they brought her out?" Bobby asked.

"None. They loaded her into the ambulance, Lucy ran over than, hopped into the front, and they took off." Tara answered.

"D… there's someone under this… give me a hand?" Myles asked. Bobby came rushing over as well. The three pressed their muscles to their ends. Finally with two officers adding brute strength to the team, the beam was lifted to reveal Jack, lying on top of the judge. The judge was unconscious, but Jack seemed to be awakening.

"Well, well… will you look at this?"Myles started "We're jeopardizing our own safety, and here you are, laying down on the job!" Myles joked. "Medic! NOW!" Myles yelled over his shoulder.

The team cleared the remaining fragments of what once was a Federal court house. Jack tried to stand, but couldn't. He was too dizzy. His face was covered in blood, and he had a gash above his left eye, and another in the hair line. The paramedics rushed in and began loading Jack onto the stretcher while assessing his condition. Jack began to fight, claiming he was fine.

" Check on the judge, he's pretty badly hurt." Jack said, holding onto his head, and rubbing his wrist. The paramedics checked for a pulse, but he was already gone. Other paramedics were hurrying in and out of the room; two other live victims were found and removed before Jack. Jack tried to stand once again.

"Let me go! We have to find Sue! She was opposite the witness stand when I went down! I think she saw the shooter, she yelled 'gun' right before everything hit the fan." Jack said, desperately trying to get off the stretcher. D made his way over to the emergency crew, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"She's already on her way to the hospital. Now, just sit still and let them do their jobs." D reassured.

"How is she?" Jack asked, scared of the answer.

"Don't know yet. She was pretty messed up, but she's getting the best care around." D answered. "She was the first one out."

"No worries Mate, she'll be fine." Bobby reassured. The paramedic gently pushed Jack back onto the bed, and strapped him down.

"D? We have back up; I'm filling them in now." Tara said over the radio.

"Thanks, we'll be right there. Chief? I'm going to fill in some back up keep looking for survivors." D instructed.

D could see that Jack was about to be loaded onto the ambulance and transported to the nearest hospital. He called to Bobby to go with him. Jack looked distraught. D knew that Jack didn't like being kept down, away from the action. This one he'd have to sit out. For once, Jack Hudson would have to be an on looker, at least until the doctors cleared him to return to duty.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Sue turned her head slightly to her left, trying to see. Her eyes rebelled against what her brain told her to do. Her right arm was pinned beneath her. She could feel dirt and debris falling onto her face again. She blinked hard, trying to clear her eyes. She still couldn't see anything. Her world was black.

"God please help me. Give me a direction to turn- lead me out of here." She rested her head back and took a breath. She choked on the soot that had settled on her lips and in her mouth. She thought of Jack and how he had been where the explosion had happened. Tears welled in her eyes. She was too weak to keep them at bay. Her heart sank with the thought that he was hurt or worse. "What if…" she said and more tears fell.

"'What if' what?" she heard a voice coming from above her. At first she was frightened, not sure if it was the voice of the shooter. She didn't answer at first. "Sit still, let me pull these boards off of you. Cover your head with your free hand." The man said. Sue did as she was told. She recognized the voice, but couldn't place it.

"Jack?" Sue hesitantly asked.

"There ya go. Come here, sit up and get your bearings a bit." The kind voice said. He offered her a hand to pull her to a sitting position. Her hand reached to him, trembling.

"I'm deaf… and NOW, on top of it, I can't see- my eyes won't open and focus." She explained.

The old man chuckled saying "I know you're deaf sweetie. I haven't forgotten everything. I'm going to pour some water on your eyes, OK Suzie?" The man poured the water over her eyes and face, effectively washing away the grime left behind by the collapse.

"How- how do you know my name?" Sue asked hesitantly.

The old man's face began to come into focus. His eyes were kind, his smile warm and loving.

Sue could focus for the first time. Her eyes landed on the figure before her.

"Grandpa!" Sue squealed and launched herself into his open arms.

"Hi Suzie." He said, hugging her tight. She peeled herself away from her grandfather, a sad look upon her face.

"Does this mean… does it mean…"She stuttered.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lucy sat with her head in her hands, tears streaming down. Bobby was rubbing her back. Jack was beginning to wear a spot in the floor from his pacing. D was on the phone, checking on progress at the scene. Tara sat on the other side of Lucy, holding her arm, trying to comfort herself as much as her friend.

"When is the doctor going to come out and tell us SOMETHING?" Myles said as he walked through the doors carrying coffee. The bunch looked up at him curiously. "Well, I figure, if he'd actually come out and said something, you all wouldn't be looking like that!" He answered.

"Thanks Myles." Jack said taking his cup. "I wish he'd say something… give us some kind of update."

"This is frustrating" Tara said.

"My best friend is lying in there, and I don't know if she's going to live or die." Lucy said with desperation in her voice.

"Luc, she's strong. She'll make it through the surgery, she'll be ok. You've got to believe that." Bobby said.

D shut his phone and walked back to the group.

"Any news?" Myles asked.

"No, not really. The dogs lost the tree shooter's scent a mile from the scene. It looks like it was deliberate attempt to break Ryan out of jail. A successful one." D answered.

"Great, now we have an international arms dealer out on the loose, with lots of clients just waiting for that phone call." Bobby said.

"And the news coverage is that call." Jack said. "Terrific."

"Any count on casualties yet?" Tara asked.

"3 women came out alive, one died on route. 2 men, both alive so far. 3 court officers came out when it was happening, all carrying civilians. The civilians had relatively minor injuries, the officers as well. 2 cops down outside, on the steps. Plus Jack and Sue. That's it." D said.

"D! There were nearly 30 people inside that room alone! You mean to tell me that no one else came out?" Jack said. "Oh… My… God!" Jack sank his head low, between his legs, shaking his head. "What about the women you guys found? Any of them make it?"

"They're part of the '3'. Why?" D asked.

"Any ID on them yet? Did Nancy make it out alive? I saw her go down, heard her scream… it's kinda sticking in my head." Jack explained scrunching his eyes together, as if he could see it happening again. "I couldn't do anything, I couldn't get to her…" his voice trailed off.

"I'll check for you. I didn't get names the first time around." D assured.

"Sparky, don't beat yourself up over it. There was nothing you could have done differently to make things turn out differently. If you'd jumped out to save her, you might have been shot, and you still might not have saved her." Bobby said, trying to lighten his guilt.

"Don't forget the two K-9's that made it out." Tara added.

"Great, the mutt patrol got out, what about their handlers?" Myles added sarcastically.

"No word yet. There's still a large section of the waiting and security areas that haven't been sifted through yet. It's not structurally sound to do so." D added.

"D? Are all the court officers, or ones assigned to the trial security, accounted for?" Jack asked.

"Not sure, why, what's up?" D asked.

"I'm not sure…" Jack said, shaking his head, trying to remember why it was so important to ask that. "There was one standing at the door that Sue and I both thought we knew from somewhere else, but we couldn't place him. When I went up to testify, I saw Sue look in his direction with a scared look in her eyes. I was going to ask about it when I got off the stand…" Jack's voice trailed off. "I think she realized who he was. Maybe he had something to do with this. Maybe, he was there to make sure no one got OUT instead of in! I bet, if we track him down… we'll find Ryan." Jack concluded.

Just then, the door to the ICU opened and a doctor covered head to toe in scrubs and mask walked out, pulling the mask below his chin. He looked drained, tired from the hours of helping their family.

"I'm looking for the family of Susan Thomas?" He said, looking around.

"That's us." Jack and Lucy said in unison, nearly jumping out of their chairs. The doctor looked at them with confusion. "Umm, are you her husband?" He asked, looking at Jack.

"No…" He said, blushing slightly. "We're her friends. Her parents aren't here yet, they're flying in from Ohio. They'll be here soon." Jack offered.

"Doctor, can you tell us anything? How is she?" Lucy asked.

"She's alive. We did what we could, it was touch and go for a while. We set her right wrist, put her shoulder back in place. Her right ankle required 3 screws to set. She's going to be in a wheel chair for a while until they heal. She has a concussion, three bruised ribs, and about 40 stitches in her head and right arm." The doctor informed.

"Is she going to make it Doc?" Lucy asked.

"Hard to say for sure. The next 24 hours are critical. I'll let two at a time stay in the room with her, anyone else can stay in the lobby at the end of the hall. The nurses will be in throughout the night, I'll be back in the morning. Any questions I can answer for you?" The doctor asked. The team shook their heads and mumbled a collective "no". "OK then, I will see you in the morning. I would suggest you all go home and get some rest, she won't regain consciousness until at least then, we have her heavily sedated. Good night." He said as he walked away.

"Lucy, you and Jack take first watch, we'll be back in the morning." D said, ushering the rest out.

"Good night guys, see you tomorrow." Jack said.

"Call us if you need anything." Tara offered as she walked to the elevator. Bobby and Myles gave caring looks at their friends who were staying.

"You ready?" Jack asked Lucy.

"As I ever will be…" Lucy said as she reached for the handle of Sue's room. Lucy walked in first, and gasped as she caught first glance at Sue's bandaged body. Her head was bandaged from the gashes that received stitches. Her hand and forearm were cast up to the elbow, her leg was elevated off the bed in traction showing the cast to her knee from the shattered ankle. Her face was battered and bruised, but pale otherwise. Tubes of one sort or another were coming out of her frail body. There were IV fluids, medication and drainage tubes. The machines beeped at sporadic intervals, creating a rhythmic tune.

"Oh, Jack… She… she… looks horrible." Lucy said.

"She's going to be fine, Luc, we have to believe that." Jack said, confident on the outside, but his insides were shaking as badly as Lucy's were. They pulled up chairs next to her bed. Lucy took her hand and started to talk to her.

"Oh Girl, you would have a fit if you saw your hair now! Talk about a bad hair day!" Lucy was trying to lighten her own mood as she touched at the blood soaked, matted down hair across her brow. "Well, hopefully they wash her up before they give her a mirror! She'll kill me for letting her be seen like this…" Lucy said, beginning to cry again. Jack rubbed her back, and put his hand over Lucy's that was holding Sue's. It wasn't long before exhaustion over took both friends. Jack laid his head back on the chair he was sleeping in, Lucy's was on Sue's bed as she hunched over. There was a soft knock on the door. Jack woke up, and looked out into the hall to see the nurse standing there with Sue's Mom and Dad. He stretched and waved that he was coming out.

"Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, how was your flight?" Jack asked, trying to make enough small talk so he could wake up.

"How is she Agent Hudson?" Carla Thomas asked. She looked tired, worried about her only daughter. It was the first time he'd seen her scared, and from what Sue said, probably the first time she HAD been scared.

"Give the man a minute to get his bearings." Sue's dad said, holding his wife's hand tightly. He looked worn from his trip as well, but Jack could tell it was more from their daughter being in danger than jet lag.

"It's OK. I'm sorry, my head's foggy, it's been a long day." Jack replied, shaking out the cobwebs "She made it through the surgery, but she's banged up pretty badly." Jack tried to tell them gently.

"Will she make it?" Carla asked.

"It's wait and see right now. They can't really do much more for her. The doctor said the next 24 hours will tell better. Right now, she's sedated to keep her still. She's done a lot of damage to bones and tissue. They don't want her flailing her arms and legs around and pulling out stitches or tubes.

"Can we go in?" Her Dad asked.

"Yes, of course. Lucy and I will go down the hall and let you two stay with her. I should warn you though, she looks bad. There are a few broken bones, lots of bruises, stitches. I just don't want you to be shocked when you see her." Jack tried to warn Sue's parents.

"Thank you Agent Hudson." Carla said as she walked past him through Sue's door. Jack gently nudged Lucy to wake her. Lucy made her greetings and walked to the end of the hall and plopped down onto a chair.

"Please, sit, make yourselves comfortable. If for some reason Sue needs the nurse, or you two do, just press this button. They come in about every 20 minutes to check on her. If you need me for something, I'll be at the end of the hall." Jack offered. Her Dad shook his hand. "You and Miss Dawson should go home and get some sleep, you look tired. You've been through a lot today. Thank you for everything Agent Hudson."

"Please, it's Jack. I would do anything for Sue. I wish I had gotten to her sooner." Jack said.

"Did you find our daughter? Do you know what happened?" Carla asked.

"Yes Ma'am, I do, but I'm not allowed to say too much right now, it's an active investigation." Jack said, trying to not upset her.

"Thank you Jack. We really do appreciate everything you and your team did for our daughter today." Her father said, as they settled into the chairs to sit with Sue for the rest of the night.

Jack walked slowly down the hall to sit with Lucy. She was looking distraught. "She'll be OK Luc, trust in that. I think Sue Thomas has more to do in this world than the little bit she's accomplished. It's not her time to leave us yet." He said full of confidence, as he crossed his fingers. He sat in the chair next to Lucy and put his feet up on the table full of magazines. He glanced at his watch as he drifted to sleep, 2:48. Jack woke up, his legs aching from being stretched out with no support beneath them for hours. The sun was just poking its head above the horizon. He guessed it must be about 6 or so. He pulled his phone from his pocket and out from under the blanket to check for messages. Wait, a blanket? I didn't have this when I got here… neither did Lucy. The nurses here are great he thought. There were no new messages, and he saw that it was 5:54. He got up and started walking around the lobby area. A nurse was walking off the elevator, getting ready to start her 6:00 shift. She was older, but still could turn a head, she was very pretty. Jack recognized her, and she him.

"Agent Hudson? Jack Hudson?" she asked.

"Yeah… Darlene, right? I remember you from my last time here." Jack answered.

"Is everything OK?" She asked.

"Not really. My partner was injured yesterday." Jack said rather plainly.

"Oh, not in that courthouse massacre?" She asked, recalling what she'd heard on the news.

"Afraid so." He answered.

"How is she? What's her name again? Sue wasn't it?" Darlene asked.

"Sue Thomas. She's holding her own. My fingers hurt from crossing them so much…" Jack joked.

"She's in good hands… I'm here! I have to go, but I'll check in on her and give you an update. Is there someone in with her?" she asked.

"Yeah, her parents flew in late last night." Jack answered. The nurse walked through the doors, and disappeared toward Sue's door. The chatter had woke Lucy from her not so sound slumber.

"Everything OK?" she asked, scared of the answer.

"Yeah… a nurse I know." He answered. Jack heard the door open at the opposite end of the hall. He watched as Sue's parents walked toward him. He got a knot in the pit of his stomach, his face turned pale white.

"Everything OK with Sue?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, we just need to go stretch and get some coffee. We need to go to the coffee shop around the corner. Would you two go sit with her again, while we're gone. Here are our cell numbers, if she wakes up, call us, please." Carla asked.

"Of course." Lucy said, as the two walked back to Sue's room.

When they arrived at the door, there was a flurry of activity going on. Darlene was in the thick of things. Jack and Lucy were very concerned. Lucy's hand went over her mouth like she was going to be sick. Jack's heart sank into his stomach.

"Is it OK if we come back in?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"Do you mind waiting a few minutes while we get things changed up in here?" Darlene asked. "She's OK Jack." She said, winking at him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I just want to say thanks to all who have reviewed and written such nice things. I'm glad you're all enjoying this story. It means a lot! Thank you!

"You're NOT dead. You are going to have to fight if you want it to stay that way though." He said.

"I've missed you so much Grandpa." Sue gushed.

"I know baby- I've missed you too." The old man said.

"So, where am I? And, why are you here- how are you here?" She asked.

"God has his ways Darling, don't question such things. He sent me to help you. So, 'what if' what?" he asked. Sue looked at him curiously. "When I first came to you, you were saying "What if…".

"Oh, I was thinking of my friend Jack who was with me. He was testifying when this all started. I haven't seen him. I don't know if he's OK or not." Sue muttered, starting to cry again. Her grandfather's hand held hers, letting her cry some.

"One thing at a time… one thing at a time. First, we need to get you out of here." He took her hand in his, and helped her to her feet. Sue's knees were weak, her legs and left ankle hurt. Her shoulder and right arm ached as well. Her grandpa placed his arm around her to steady her.

"This is a long hall." She commented.

"You have a long way to go before you're out of danger." He said smiling.

"Are you sure I'm not… dead?" Sue asked hesitantly.

"It's not your time." He answered.

"But how do you know?" Sue asked.

"I just do." He smiled down on her. "But, just because today's not your time, doesn't mean it's not tomorrow or in the days to come. You can't slack off- you need to work hard. You need to want to get out of here." He looked at her sternly, but with love in his heart.

"You sound like Mom now. I see where she got it from. I do want to leave here Grandpa. I have so much I haven't done yet." She said.

"Like what? What things have you put off?" Grandpa asked.

"I want to fall in love, rock my babies to sleep at night, get married… swim with the dolphins in the Caribbean…" Sue said, blushing slightly.

"Well, Suzie, I certainly hope that 'rockin the babies' comes after the wedding…" He chuckled. "Don't mind this old man, I'm hopelessly old fashioned." Sue wrapped her arm around her grandpa's and hugged it tight. "So, what's stopping you?" He asked, stopping to let Sue rest a bit.

"Grandpa! It's not like I have a magic wand ya know!" She blushed.

"Perhaps not a wand, but you certainly have magic." He winked at her, smiling. "So, tell me about this Jack Hudson." Grandpa urged.

"How do you know about him?" Sue asked.

"I know everything about you darling." He said, smiling.

"He's a friend. He's probably my best friend. He's smart, one of the FBI's finest. He's sweet, kind, caring. He's never treated me like I'm different. He doesn't seem to even notice I'm deaf, but he makes sure I can read him every time he speaks. He's even learned ASL, for me…" Sue began blushing at her comments.

"Sounds like a nice fellow. I wish I could have met him." Grandpa winked at his granddaughter smiling up at him like the little girl she was the last time he saw her.

"He is. I wish you could have too." Sue said, sadly, thinking for the first time since she'd seen her grandfather again, he would have to leave when they found the end of the hall they were traveling. "Grandpa, can I ask you something?" Sue asked cautiously.

"Sure. Not sure I'll be able to answer it, but shoot…" Her grandpa said.

"Oh, Grandpa… poor choice of words!" Sue chastised.

"Sorry… go ahead." He corrected.

"Will I ever find that?" She asked.

"Find what sweetheart?" He nudged.

"All that stuff I was talking about before. Someone to love me, someone to love… someone to have a family with…" Sue's voice began to betray her.

"Sometimes Suzie, things are right in front of your eyes. You just need to open your eyes. Open your eyes Suzie…" Her grandfather's voice trailed off… it became muttered, cluttered with background noise, other sounds and voices began to blend in.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Open your eyes Sue. Come on, you can do it. Sue, open your eyes…open them…" Jack began to say. At first it was a whisper, a prayer. He got up quickly from his chair, still holding Sue's hand. He hated letting her go, but needed to call for help. He jumped backwards to the door, leaning just enough to call for Darlene.

"Don't you quit on me Sue! Don't you quit! Open the eyes… open your eyes, Honey, you can do it…" He began to turn a dark shade of red from his slip of calling Sue 'Honey'. He was pretty sure no one had heard him.

"What's wrong Jack?" Darlene said, concerned as she rushed into Sue's room.

"She's opening her eyes… they're moving a lot, and it's almost like she's fighting to open them. I saw them open a crack, then she slammed them shut again, but she keeps doing it." Jack said hopefully.

"OK… keep talking to her." Darlene encouraged as she picked up the phone and called for Sue's doctor. Once she hung up, Darlene checked her vitals, everything was looking good. Jack tried to interrupt her, but Darlene kept controlling the conversation. "Just keep talking to her. If she can hear you and is trying to wake up, she'll keep focusing on your voice, following it."

"Darlene… I'm trying to tell…" Jack began.

"Not me, HER!" She commanded. Darlene took her pulse while watching Jack. She could see how much he loved her. "You know, you should really let her in on that secret you're keeping." She said smiling.

Jack looked at her confused.

"Oh, don't you play dumb with me. I'm not blind, my friend or a fool, and I doubt you're fooling any of your friends either. You don't think I heard you slip and call her "Honey"? If you were any more in love with this girl, you'd have your own reality TV show!" Darlene smiled. "She's a beautiful girl, once you get the blood out of her hair and the purple bruises off her eye." She chuckled.

Jack couldn't say anything, he just stared at Sue. Darlene was right, she was beautiful. She was right about something else too… he was in love with Sue Thomas.

"So, Jack, why haven't you told her?" Darlene said, not looking too happy with Jack.

"It's complicated…" He began.

"Horse phooey! Just tell her! What's so complicated about it?" Darlene said.

"Work… there are rules." Jack explained. Darlene was about to continue, when the doctor walked it with another nurse. The three began a frenzy of activity. Jack tried to get out of the way, but Darlene pushed him back into the chair, picked up Sue's hand and put it back into his.

"You sit! If we need you to move, we'll tell you. Until then, sit! She's responding to your voice… keep talking to her." Darlene instructed.

"Darlene, how is that even possible? She's deaf, she can't hear me! That's what I've been trying to tell you." Jack explained, trying to stand again.

"I don't know Jack, but she is coming out of it. Maybe it's you holding her hand, maybe somewhere in that subconscious, she can hear you… All I know, is it's working, so get your butt back over there and sit!" Darlene instructed.

OK! OK!" Jack retorted as he sat back down and began thinking of what to say to Sue. Just then, Sue's parents and Lucy came down the hall only to see Jack's face covered with tears, and the doctors hurried movements, behind Sue's closed door. Darlene leaned over Jack's shoulder and whispered "Find a way Jack, this won't happen again…" She smiled and winked at him. Jack's face turned scarlet as he began talking to Sue once again.

"Oh No!" Lucy exclaimed. "Please God, no…"

"Something's happening" Carla said, looking suddenly petrified. Her husband took her hand in his, but felt the sudden need to wrap his arms around her.

"What's going on?" Sue's father asked, holding his wife tight against his chest, and watching every movement in his daughter's room. "Please God… Please…"

Lucy began to shake, and sob. Sue's dad wrapped his arms around her as well. "Let's pray" he said.

Darlene saw the small group in the hall, and realized they thought the worse of what they were seeing; she needed to end their terror. "Hi Folks. Sue's OK. We think she's starting to wake up. You can all go in, but stand back away from her and let the doctor examine her. Jack's been talking to her, and she seems to be responding… I think it's going to be a wait and see for a little longer though. She's groaning in her sleep, don't let that bother you, it's a good sign. It's good that she's feeling the pain."

"How do you figure her being in pain is good? Carla asked.

"If she's feeling pain, that means she's feeling. Feeling in her arms and legs after what she's been through is a very good thing." Darlene reassured. The group entered Sue's room and lean against the window they were just looking in. The doctor confirmed what Darlene had told them.

"It looks like she's turned that corner. She's holding her own, seems to be waking up. You may stay, but please keep it to a low roar. If there are any changes let Darlene or I know immediately." The doctor shook Sue's dad's hand and left the room.

"Your mouth to God's ear Doc. Thank you." Sue's dad said.

Jack looked back at him and smiled. "Sue said the same thing this morning in court. I guess I know where she got that from." Jack went back to encouraging Sue.

"Sue… you can do it… just open your eyes. I'm right here. Open your eyes Sue…" Jack said, holding her hand, playing with her fingers with his. "Sue please… we need you. I need you. Please open your eyes… I'm right in front of you." Jack said, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Grandpa?" Sue asked looking right into Jack's eyes.

The entire room burst into laughter. Sue looked confused, not sure what to make of things. Where was she? Her eyes wanted to close again. She tried to shake her head to wake up, but she was groggy.

"Come on Sue. You can do this… open your eyes…" Jack said again. Jack's fingers were laced in Sue's. He felt her squeeze his hand, and slowly her eyes opened once again. "Hi…" Jack said when he noticed her eyes staying open.

"Hi…" Sue said. Her voice was wary, she seemed to slur the one word spoken.

"How ya doin?" Jack asked.

She answered "**OK**". She tried to focus on Jack more. "I lied. I feel like I got hit by a train." she confessed.

"Blown up actually." Jack filled in some of the details for her. "Do you remember what happened?" Jack asked.

"**No. Not really**." She said.

"What do you remember?" Jack pushed. Sue was looking around the room, still trying to figure out where she was. She tried to move, but couldn't. She noticed her body in a cast and bandages. She looked at her parents behind Jack, their faces stained with tears. Her face began to turn white. Lucy lunged over Jack's shoulder with a bed pan, just in time. Jack got a wet cloth and washed her face a bit. He held her hand again. "You OK?" He asked, concern written all over his face. Sue shook her head yes. "You sure? Do you want me to get Darlene?"

"No, I'm OK…. For now." Sue admitted. "I think I'm just a little over whelmed. I see the concern on your and Lucy's faces, but my parents are here… THAT scared me. Am I that badly hurt you needed to call them in? And, then, to top it off, I've been attacked by a white plaster monster. What happened to me?" She finally asked. She lifted her arm a bit toward the group, and looked at Lucy.

"Luc, white? Really?" Sue chastised.

"What, it's before Labor Day." Lucy joked.

"We can talk shop later, when you're feeling better. Right now, you should get some rest." Jack started to get out of the chair. Sue squeezed his hand, looking at him desperately to stay. "I'm just going to get a hot shower, and check in at the office. I'll be back later. Visit with your Mom and Dad for a while." Jack leaned over without thought or hesitation, and kissed her on top of her head. Lucy walked to the edge of her bed, and gave her hand a squeeze. She smiled at her best friend, raising her eye brow suggestively. Sue's face turned crimson as the full meaning of Lucy's look registered with Sue. Her Mom and Dad sat next to her and began talking to her.

"Hon, would you be a dear, and see if you can find a good cup of coffee for me?" Carla asked her husband. He smiled and agreed that he could also use a fresh one.

"Why did you get rid of Daddy? Sue asked.

"Sue, darling, be honest with me, will you?" Carla said.

"Of course Mother, what is it?" Sue asked.

"Are you and Jack…ummm, well… are you…" Carla stumbled over her words.

"Mother! Are you asking if Jack and I are sleeping together?" Sue was shocked that the question had actually formed in her mother's head. "Were you the one who banged your head?"

"I'm sorry for asking, but I see the way you two were looking at each other, and the kiss. He's been here since he was brought in without leaving, holding your hand, talking to you. He was crying earlier. Don't tell him I saw… it'll only embarrass him." Her mother explained.

"Mom, for one… it was a kiss on my head. We're friends… good friends." Sue explained, trying to pacify her mother's interrogation.

"Hmmm… tell that to someone else Sweetheart. I see it in your eyes. You're in love with that man." She finally confronted Sue with the truth. Much to her shock, Sue didn't deny her mother's accusation.

"My feelings don't matter. There are rules, and if we break them, we'll lose our careers. I'm not willing to chance losing my career for something I don't know is true on his end." Sue explained.

"Do your eyes still function properly? You can't see the love that's oozing out of that boy for you?" Her mother said sarcastically. "Susan Thomas! Open your eyes darling. You almost died today Honey… don't take any more chances, don't waste any more time. God only gives us so much time on this Earth, and when it's our time, it's our time."

"You're right. I've wasted too much time already." Sue chuckled and looked curiously at her mother. "Hmm, you sounded like Grandpa just then." Sue commented.

"Grandpa?" Carla asked.

"Yeah… It's hard to explain. He came to me, to help me out of the building. We talked for a long time. I told him I'd wasted so much time, put so many things off…" Tears began to slip from Sue's eyes. Carla noticed, and took Sue's hand in her own.

"Mom… I know." Was all Sue said. Her mother looked at her and she too began to cry. There was a silent understanding between the two women.

"How did you find out? Your father?" She asked.

"No. It doesn't matter how I know, just that I do. Please let me be there for you. Let me be the shoulder you need. Let me help you through this." Sue begged. Carla shook her head and agreed to keep her daughter in the loop of how things were going.

"How bad is it?" Sue asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Stage one, they caught it early. The doc is going to surgically remove the tumor. Then we do treatments and then more tests. I'll lose my hair. I'll be OK though." Carla's voice began to crack and shake. She patted Sue's hand reassuringly.

"We'll have to shop for some nice wraps, I've seen some beautiful ones downtown at a little shop on West Street." Sue offered.

"Maybe it'll come in red!" Sue looked at her confused. "My hair, when it grows back. I've heard that can happen." Carla said, jokingly. "I wonder if your father likes redheads…" They both laughed. It felt good to laugh. Carla wiped Sue's tears from her face, then her own. Sue's eyes began to shut. The exhaustion finally took over. Carla sat with Sue for a while, holding her hand.

A couple hours passed, friends began to pass through for a couple minutes at a time. Sue's parents had left for dinner. Tara and Lucy came by with a special present for Sue.

"Knock, knock." They said, waving in Sue's direction. Darlene was in checking on her progress, and tapped Sue on the shoulder. Sue's face lit up at the sight of her two friends. She waved to them.

"Hi! It's good to see you guys! I was starting to get bored." Sue said.

"We brought another friend, hope you don't mind." Lucy said.

"No, of course not." Sue said just as Levi jumped on the edge of the bed and put his paw on Sue's hand.

"Levi! Oh, buddy, I've missed you. You being good for Luc?" Sue asked. "**Thank you**."

"He's being awesome." Lucy assured. "Your Mom and Dad go to the hotel?" Lucy asked.

"No, dinner. I made them promise though that they'd go to the hotel and get some rest." Sue said. Levi licked Sue's hand and nudged her when she stopped petting him to sign with the girls. He wanted her attention. "I'm OK Buddy… or I will be. Does anyone have a mirror? I want to see how bad I look." Sue said.

"Oh, no you don't!" Tara said. "Just trust us when we say, you've looked better…" She just laughed.

"Oh, that's just wonderful! Now I really have to see myself!" Sue said.

"Nope. No mirrors in here until we get you cleaned up. You're going to have to live with the cuts and bruises and broken bones until it all heals, but I don't want your first image to be …'this'." Darlene interjected. "I'll send in someone to clean you up." She said.

"We can do it." Lucy and Tara said, almost in unison.

"You could, but you won't. She has stitches in her head, she has a concussion, she's badly bruised. It's much better if she hates us, not you guys." Darlene offered.

The girls agreed, but realized they really didn't have any choice, they were no match for Darlene.

"We're going to go then, let them clean you up. We'll stop by later, or maybe tomorrow." Tara offered.

"Umm, take Lover Boy over here with you." Darlene said, nodding in Levi's direction. Levi sighed. "You can come back with them if you want, but you can't stay." Darlene said. Levi whined in Darlene's direction. He jumped on the edge of the bed again, licking Sue's hand again. She patted him and blew him a kiss.

"We'll see you later." Lucy began. "Oh! Here, I brought your old Black Berry from the house. It's charged up, ready for use."

"**Thank you**." Sue said as the two friends waved as they left. Sue began to play with the Black Berry until her 'bath' time. She logged onto the internet only to see the carnage that had been done to the courthouse. She couldn't believe she made it out alive. They had pictures of the inside of the building, but not the courtroom. Those images were too graphic for the evening news. She scrolled through some of the pictures, but shut it off quickly. It was too painful to look at. So many innocent people died because of a maniac. Jason Soars… That was the guard! Without second thought, she dialed.

"Hello?" the voice answered.

"Jack?" Sue called, excitedly into the phone.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

I still don't own any of it except the story idea… hope you enjoy it!

"Sue?" Jack asked. "It's good to hear your voice." He said, smiling.

"Good to see yours too." She smiled at the thought of Jack on the other end of the phone. "Are you busy?"

"No. Why?" She had hoped his answer was not for her, but she would take 'no'.

"Can you come by the hospital? I remembered something about yesterday." She said. She knew she could have just told him over the phone, but then he might have gotten caught up in the chase of things, and wouldn't have time to stop by to see her. She wanted to see him. She needed to see him. Suddenly she realized she had gotten caught up in her daydream that she'd forgotten Jack was on the phone. She hurried to read what he'd said before he noticed.

"…I'll be right there. I just finished with D on the same subject. Maybe you can shed some light on things we can't see yet." There was a pause. "Sue?" another pause. "Sue? Hello? Awe, don't tell me we got discon-"

"Sorry, I'm here. I uh, I was thinking about something. It distracted me for a second." She could feel her ears beginning to burn and she was glad he wasn't there to see it.

"Oh, good. I thought we got disconnected." Jack said, stumbling over his words. "So, I'll see you in a little bit. Do you need anything? Want anything?" Jack asked. His hope was to bring something for dinner, and have an excuse to stay longer.

"Good food! Some of the hospital food is OK, but some… not so much." She said, hoping he would want to stay longer visiting. She'd had a lot of company, but was getting lonely for his company.

"I'll see what I can come up with. What about your parents?" Jack asked, suddenly disappointed.

"They've gone to dinner and said they might stop by later, but I told them to just go back to the hotel." Sue answered.

Jack was happy to hear he would have her all to himself; he needed to talk to her. "OK, then, dinner for two it is." Jack smiled wide as he formed a plan for his romantic dinner with Sue.

Darlene had come in before her shift ended and helped Sue freshen up. She washed up, brushed her hair and teeth, and put on some perfume Darlene kept in her purse. Sue hoped it was enough to catch his attention. She needed to talk to him. She couldn't put it off anymore.

The door to Sue's room opened a crack, he peeked in checking to see if it was OK for him to enter.

"Hi." Sue said, smiling at the flowers in his hand.

"Hi. Is it OK if I come in?" He asked.

"Sure?" Sue asked curiously.

"Well, the door was closed, and there's a sheet on the window?" Jack said nodding his head toward the window.

"Oh, that. They put it up to change and wash me. I asked them to leave it so I could have some privacy." Sue explained.

"Umm, I'll come back later if you want to be alone." Jack offered sweetly.

"No!" Sue said, a bit louder than she wanted. "I wanted to have some privacy, with umm, you. I- I wanted to talk to you privately." She said, blushing over the fact that she couldn't get the words out.

"Hey! You're sitting up! You look, great… wow." Jack said softly.

"Thank you." Sue said. "They won't give me a mirror. Am I that hideous?" She asked.

"No. You're banged up pretty badly, but Myles everyday look has you beat, hands down." Jack joked. He noticed he was still holding the flowers. "Oh, these are for you." He said, handing them to her.

"**Thank you**. Can I ask you something?" She began hesitantly.

"Of course, you can ask me anything." Jack said, looking at her worried. "You OK?"

Sue shook her head no. "Will you do a favor for me?" She asked, her hands starting to shake.

"If I can." Jack answered. "What is it?"

"Will you… will you get me a mirror? Or help me to the bathroom?" Sue asked, scared.

"Why?" Jack asked, confused by the request.

"I haven't seen myself yet. They won't give me a mirror." She explained.

"Sue…" Jack started.

"No, Jack. I want to see me. I need to see me. I need to see what I look like. I want to see how bad it is." Sue said, her heart aching.

"Sue, if they won't show you, there must be a reason." Jack started.

"No Jack! The not knowing is worse. I'm picturing these horrible images. I'm afraid of myself at this point. Let me see my injuries, my face." She pleaded.

Jack looked into her eyes, deep in her eyes. He could see the hurt from the not knowing. It didn't matter to him what she looked like, but would it to her?

"OK." Was all Jack said. He got up in search of a mirror. Finally he went to the nurse's station and borrowed a compact. "Here you go."He said, handing her the mirror. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Please stay." She asked softly. Jack reached out and took her hand in his. She opened the compact slowly. Her hand shook as she brought it to her face. Her eyes were looking in her lap, too afraid to look at herself.

"Sue, you're beautiful. They're just bruises and cuts, they'll heal." Jack said, squeezing her hand. Sue smiled at him and nervously raised the mirror to her face again. There was a soft gasp when she saw the color of her face, her eye. Her eye was swollen near her temple, and below onto her cheek. It was a dark purple and seemed to lighten toward the outside of the contusion. Her cheek to her chin, and nearly to her nose was discolored purple and shades of red. There were scratches beginning to heal on her other cheek and forehead. She moved the compact in all directions, looking at the minute details. She stopped for a long pause at the stitches in her head, they were so far back, she could barely see them. Slowly she closed the compact and handed it back to Jack.

"Here. Thank you." She said. Jack held her hand, not saying anything, judging her reaction. There really wasn't one, except for a faint smile turning at the corners of her mouth.

"You OK?" he asked. Sue shook her head yes. With that Sue let out a cleansing breath, and smiled up at Jack.

"I hope the hair grows back in that spot they had to shave. Hats really aren't my thing." She said jokingly.

Jack sighed with relief. "Oh, I don't know, I think a nice Capitols hat would look great on you. And you know that Myles would get you a Bruins or Sox hat to add to the collection. We know how you women are about not wearing the same thing twice in a row." They both laughed. It felt good to laugh.

"What did you bring us for dinner that smells so yummy?" Sue asked.

"Well, I thought, we hadn't had Chinese for a while, so I stopped at that little place we went to near my house. Hope that's OK." Jack said, handing Sue her container of food. Jack pulled up a chair to sit in, next to Sue's bed.

"Deluxe B" Sue said as she opened the Styrofoam container and peered in at its contents. "How well you know me!" She said laughing.

"Dig in before Darlene catches a whiff of it and confiscates it!" Jack joked. The two ate in silence for a few minutes. Jack watched Sue intently. She took a small bite and looked up at him. Jack looked away, but she had caught him. He blushed a bit and smiled.

"What?" Sue asked.

"Nothing. It's just good to be able to sit here with you." He said, trying to just pass over the subject, hoping Sue would let it go. She did, for the time being. "Oh! Good news! I stopped at the nurses' station on the way in; Nancy is going to make it. She has a broken leg, but the bullet didn't do that much damage. She should be going home in a few days." Jack said excitedly.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that, I know how much you like her. I feel horrible about everything that happened." Sue said.

"Don't feel guilty Sue. You couldn't have done anything more to help anyone." Jack reassured.

"I know. And I don't feel guilty. But it is good news to hear that Nancy will be OK." Sue said. Sue looked at Jack, and smirked. The smirk turned into a chuckle.

"What?" Jack said, feeling self conscious.

"Nothing." Sue said, giggling.

"No, not 'nothing'. What?" Sue shook her head no. "I'm insulted then! HA!" Jack retorted sarcastically.

"OK… come here." He leaned forward, and Sue wiped his cheek with her thumb. "You have rice on your face." When her hand made contact with his cheek, both could feel the shiver of a spark. It was so strong, it was nearly visible. Her hand lingered there, barely touching the skin. She could feel the beginnings of a 5 o'clock shadow. Her fingers grazed along the bottom of his cheek and trailed along his jaw until they lost their connection. Sue quickly pulled her hand away, embarrassed by the fact she had allowed her hand to linger so long. "Uh… Got- Got it." She mumbled.

"Thanks" Jack said, nearly whispering. The awkwardness began to settle in. Jack didn't want that to happen, he needed something to talk about. Work! Yes, work!

"So, what was it you remembered about yesterday?" Jack started.

"Do you mind if we don't talk about work right now?" Sue asked.

"Umm, sure. Something else on your mind?" He asked nervously.

"Actually, there is. I wanted to talk to you about, about a conversation I had with my Grandfather yesterday." She started.

"Grandfather?" Jack asked. "Oh, yeah… your mom told me about that. It was a dream you had, right?"

"I don't think it was a dream Jack. I believe it was real. I believe he really came to me. Anyway…" She patted her bed, right next to her. Jack looked at her curiously. She patted the bed again. "Come, sit." Sue said. Jack got up, and sat next to her on the bed. He noticed how close he was to her. How close they were to touching, how easy it would be to just reach out and touch her.

"Afraid someone will hear us?" Jack asked softly.

"No." She answered, just as softly. "During my visit with my grandfather, I realized I have wasted so much time in my life. I need to change that." Her voice began to betray her. "I want to change that."

"What exactly are you planning on changing?" Jack asked.

"I felt it, Jack. I felt it." She said.

"Felt what?" He asked.

"The spark when I touched your cheek earlier. I felt it before tonight too. I ignored it. WE ignored it. I don't want to ignore it anymore Jack. That's not living my life the way it should be lived. God doesn't want me wasting the precious time he's give me" She said quietly as she leaned forward. Her eyes never left his. Just before her lips reached their target, she closed her eyes, and hoped Jack wouldn't disappear.

Lucy sat in the hall, just outside of Sue's room. She looked at the texts she'd received from both Sue and Jack to keep everyone out of her room for a little while. Each wanted to talk to the other, and Lucy was pretty sure she knew what about. She could hardly control her excitement at the thought of her best friend and the man she loved FINALLY getting together. Lucy was checking other messages when she heard a couple of familiar voices. Sue's parents were walking hand in hand down the hall. Lucy smiled that a couple who have been married as long as they had could still be sweet on each other.

"Hello Lucy. Are they in with Sue?" Carla asked.

"Uh, hi Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. No… The doctor isn't in there…" Lucy started.

"Oh, good. I wanted to talk to Sue before we head back to the hotel for the night." Carla began.

"Ummm… how was your dinner? Where did you end up going?" Lucy asked, trying to stall to give Sue and Jack more time.

"We just went to that little pizza place near your apartment, Maria's? I think it's called." Mr. Thomas answered. "Very good pizza."

"Best in town." Lucy said. Carla started for the door. "Mrs. Thomas? Can you not go in right now?" Lucy asked, nearly begging, while she bit her lip.

"Why on Earth not?" Carla asked, still reaching for the handle. Mr. Thomas looked at her curiously as well. Lucy got up, and took Carla's hand off the door handle, and walked her to the seats to explain. "Please, come, sit." Lucy took a deep breath and sat next to Sue's mom. She tried to think of a tactful way to tell her what Sue and Jack had asked her to do for them.

"Both Sue and Jack have asked me not to let anyone in the room for a little bit. They both need to talk to the other." Lucy said, trying not to say too much.

"About?" Carla probed. Lucy cringed at having to explain Sue's deepest desires to her mother. As she opened her mouth to speak, Mr. Thomas beat her too it.

"Oh, come on now Carla, are you blind? Haven't you seen the way that those two look at each other? I would say confessions of the heart…" Mr. Thomas said, smiling in Lucy's direction.

"I don't know for sure, but I agree with you… And, I for one am VERY happy they are finally having this long overdue chat.

"She really loves him?" Carla asked. Lucy smiled wide and shook her head. "And he? He loves her as well?" again Lucy smiled. "He seems like a good man. Sue's always been a good judge of character." Carla smile at Lucy and her husband. Her husband smiled back, shocked, taking his wife's hand in his.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Still NOT mine, but wish it was! Let me know what you think.

Sue's hands reached for Jack's face, as their lips finally touched. The sparks flew as soon as their lips came together. It was gentle and sweet, barely a peck. She felt like a nervous teenage girl kissing a boy for the first time. As their lips parted, Sue could feel Jack let an anxious breath out. Jack's eyes stayed closed, Sue moved closer, kissing him again. This time the kiss was more aggressive, more demanding. Jack slipped one hand around her waist the other to her face, brushing her hair back. His lips parted to take more of Sue's supple lips in. His grip tightened around her waist, pulling her nearer to him. Sue's tongue darted out, cautiously brushing against Jacks. He willingly granted permission to the unspoken question. Sue pulled Jack closer, deepening the kiss. The passion swelled within her causing her to moan into his kiss. Sue realized the butterflies she'd felt before had turned from nerves to passion and desire for Jack. Jack's tongue played on her bottom lip requesting entrance. To Jack's surprise, Sue's tongue met his. They danced in unison each exploring the other. Sue's aggressiveness surprised Jack a bit, but he was enjoying the kiss too much to question it. Jack had to balance himself against the lust her was feeling for Sue. Sue's fingers ran through Jack's silky hair. Her nails raked against his scalp, heightening his want for her. He pulled her closer to him, and pressed her against the back of the bed. She could feel him groan into her touch. Their lips never parted, their tongues continued in their dance and the heat rose in the room. Sue felt her yearning for Jack stir deep within her. She wanted him, but she knew she wasn't ready to change things that drastically with him, yet. Sue began to slow the kiss. They both desperately needed oxygen. When she finally broke the kiss, both their faces were tinted a light shade of crimson.

"Wow." Sue said as they regained their breath.

"I felt it too." Jack whispered. "I felt it when you stormed into my office demanding a transfer." He took a breath, trying to clear his head from the passion he felt for her. "That was incredible."

Sue smiled shyly. She touched his cheek as she had done at the beginning of the lustful kiss.

Jack smiled at Sue with all the want and desire and love in his heart. He brushed a stray hair from her eyes, trailing his finger along her jaw.

"Let me ask you something." He began. Sue smiled, and shrugged her shoulders in his direction.

"Are you still bored? Still looking for a change in your life?" Jack asked sarcastically. Sue could only smile, shaking her head 'no', as his lips descended upon hers once more. Sue wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him closer. As their lips met this time, the sheet that covered the window slipped from its place, revealing their actions to Sue's parents and Lucy. Just outside the room, staring with open mouths, and wide smiles, sat Sue's best friend, and her biggest fans.

**The End**


End file.
